Our Family Business

SHIFT your Family Business was written for anyone who has ever worked in a family business or been part of a business family. Steve Legler grew up in one such family, and married into another, and in this, his first book, he examines the challenges that business families face, and gives readers lots of insights and ideas to help them face and overcome those challenges. Since clear, frequent, and open communication is the key to getting out of difficult situations, he walks readers through the steps of: (1) getting important conversations Started (2) getting Help from others to facilitate the discussions (3) Investing the time and effort necessary to gain the momentum to keep going (4) remaining Flexible with all their ideas and plans (5) Talking everything out to gain as much understanding and consensus as possible. He concludes with some thoughts that demystify governance, and invites business families to take on a "family office" mindset to stay focused and on track. SHIFT your Family Business is all about helping business families create the harmony they need to support the legacy they want.

By day, the Duncans are an upstanding family who run a thriving car dealership in Queens. By night, they live a dangerous secret life! Carl Weber and Eric Pete deliver a thrilling underworld drama in The Family Business. L.C. Duncan, patriarch of the family, is at the age when he’s starting to think about retirement in sunny Florida. But the recession is taking a bite out of the business and, worrying more, he has to decide which of his children should take over. When his workaholic son Orlando gets the nod, Orlando’s siblings—including the favorite son Vegas, conniving daughter London, glamorous party girl Paris and flamboyant nightclub owner Rio—are up in arms. But so are the Zunigas, a rival family whose fragile business alliance with the Duncans may explode at any moment. When Vegas suddenly breaks away from the family, London’s lawyer husband, Harris, makes a play for the company and all hell breaks loose. Selling cars, it turns out, is only a small part of the Duncans’ family business. Each member of the family has a secret expertise to reveal. And now, under siege from the Mafia, Mexican drug cartels and the Zunigas, the Duncans will have to stick together—or die separately!

Generation to Generation will help managers understand the special dynamics & challenges that family businesses face as they move through their life cycles. It explains how to handle succession, & the role of non-family professionals.

Family Business Conflict Archetypes, Frames, Roles, and Tactics are discussed in this book with a view toward educating readers to the common conflict cycles that family businesses encounter. More specifically the book will address twelve conflicts that are common in family owned businesses, how to spot them and how to resolve them.

Family businesses are the most common business form in the world, ranging from the millions of small local businesses to giants such as Walmart. This book showcases the crucial contribution that family businesses make to the world economy, and informs students of the existing and potential research in this area. Drawing upon global academic research and case studies, theories of family businesses are explained and prevailing myths and assumptions are tested. Features including exercises linked to case studies develop skills in applying theories in practice. This concise textbook is essential reading for students of family business and useful additional reading for those interested in entrepreneurship more broadly.